Tired Distance Rider Fails In Record Bid Bicycling

August 31, 1985|by DAN SHOPE, The Morning Call

A handful of interested folks spent their lunch hours at the Lehigh County Velodrome yesterday. They expected to watch 21-year-old Andy Michalski set the 24-hour distance record for the Trexlertown track at 12:18 p.m.

Trouble was, Michalski and his pit crew had already packed their Chevy van and returned to Plattsburgh, N.Y. One of the few witnesses to the final moments of the ill-fated event was Greg Reimbold, the velodrome's groundkeeper.

"It ended at 8:55 this morning," Reimbold said. "Andy got off his bike and sacked out. He was tired, and he needed sleep.

"Actually, the entire crew and Andy were in good spirits. After resting for a few minutes, he said he wanted to try it again next year."

According to Reimbold, Michalski had completed 1,400 laps for 294 miles. He was far short of the Lehigh County Velodrome and world track record of Chicago's Lon Haldeman of 450.231 miles set in 1981.

Michalski, understandably, was unavailable for comment. The Bronx native did not answer his phone last night.

But late Thursday night, a member of Michalski's crew called The Morning Call to say that all was going well.

Michalski had solved a problem with his gears and had a second row of lights turned on so that he could better view the track.

"It had to be awfully boring for him," Reimbold said. "It was especially tough at night, when there wasn't much to see."

But by morning, Michalski was tiring. His muscles had turned to puddy, and his brain told him to sleep.

Curt Bond of Orefield knows the feeling. In 1980, he set the first 24-hour time trial record at the Trexlertown track.

His 391.25 miles or 1,889.18 laps would later be recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records.

"Every time you do a mile at the velodrome, you make 10 u-turns," said Bond, who was 33 when he set the mark. "So, there's a lot of friction. This is what becomes the real shock, especially for someone like Andy, who had never ridden on a velodrome.

"The velodrome is designed for 25 miles-per-hour riding. When you go the slow speeds needed in a 24-hour event, it's like riding the side of a tin roof."

But Bond, now a draftsman for Seibert, Ferriera and Schlicting, Architects, said he wasn't bored during his 24-hour ride.

"I found nothing boring about it at all," Bond said. "As soon as you lose concentration, you have to start dealing with the pain of your rear end and feet.

"Maybe that happened to Andy. With only 3 1/2 hours left, he may have realized he wasn't going to reach his goal and stopped out of frustration."